Unbroken

On Christmas day, the popular box office movie, "Unbroken," was released in theaters across the country. Produced and directed by Angelina Jolie, it captures the inspirational true story of Louis "Louie" Zamperini. As a boy, Louis found himself in a lot of trouble, but channeled his energy into running, later qualifying for the 1936 Olympics.

When World War II broke out, Louie enlisted in the military and was on a bomber plane that crashed in the Pacific Ocean in the middle of the war. Surviving the crash, Louie miraculously endured 47 days adrift in a raft, nearly dying before being captured by the Japanese navy. Sent to a POW camp, Louie became the favorite target of an extremely cruel prison commander. His story is one of survival, resilience, and redemption.

While the movie does a great job depicting Louie's amazing story of perseverance, it leaves out a significant event that had a life transforming impact when he returned home. Traumatized by the pain and nightmares of the past, Louie fell into the clutches of alcoholism, pornography, and guilt. In 1949, after hitting rock bottom, Louie found himself at a Youth For Christ rally in Los Angeles, California, in which a young man by the name of Billy Graham was speaking.

It was that night, that Louie encountered the redemptive grace of Jesus Christ, and surrendered his life to God. Turning his life around and becoming involved in a church, Louie spent the rest of his life following and serving the Lord. He dies July 2, 2014, at the age of 97. Our savior, who experienced the ultimate brokenness at the cross, took Louie, a man broken by sin, and made him un-broken again. And He did the same for each of us.


Derek Jacobsen
Executive Director, North Iowa Youth for Christ